Iwona Cieślik, spokeswoman for the University of Life Sciences in Poznań, said that the symbolism of Christmas is full of animals. Many of them may be surprising for us, people from this part of Europe.
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What animals are associated with Christmas in Anglo-Saxon culture?
What does the robin symbolize at Christmas?
What role does the pig play in the Christmas tradition?
What is the King Christmas beetle?
Although the distinctive little birds, robins, do not appear in the Bible, they are closely associated with Christmas in Anglo-Saxon culture. In the British Isles, they are a symbol of hope in the darkest time of the year – they do not fly away to warmer places for the winter. — This charming and small bird is often depicted on Christmas cards, Christmas decorations and in literature. The robin has become synonymous with winter peace and closeness, said Iwona Cieślik.
In the 19th century, the red plumage of these birds was associated with the red uniforms of postmen. Robins began to appear on Christmas cards as “Christmas messengers”.
The pig is a symbol that originates in pre-Christian Northern Europe; in Germanic and Nordic cultures, the wild boar was the central animal of the winter festival of Yule. Christianity has domesticated this symbol. In ancient England, pigs were associated with food security. Gradually, the pig began to function as a symbol of Christmas prosperity and happiness.
Christmas. This symbol may be surprising
However, one of the more surprising animal symbols of the holidays from our Central European perspective is – as the spokeswoman of the Poznań university noted – an exceptionally beautiful beetle from the Scarabaeidae family, living off the eastern coast of Australia. – Its common name is King Christmas beetle. This is the cutest representative of the genus of insects known collectively as Australian Christmas beetles. They owe their popularity to their golden and shiny color, which resembles Christmas decorations, she said.
Adult beetles appear in large numbers from November to February, reaching peak activity around Christmas.
Moreover, we must not forget that in Australia Christmas falls in the middle of summer. For decades, the arrival of beetles in December has been a natural sign of the start of the holidays. Today, it is also an informal sign of climate change and environmental pressure – a systematic decline in the number of Christmas beetles has been observed for several years.
